Only twice previously in the reign of Peter Chiarelli as GM of the Bruins has the club used a draft pick on a Russian player.

Today in the second round they drafted their third Russian, and luckily he has a nickname.

Using the 40th overall pick that they acquired from Minnesota as part of the Chuck Kobasew deal in 2009, the Bruins drafted Alexander Khokhlachev. The 17-year-old came to North America last season to play for Windsor of the OHL and, yes, his teammates call him KoKo.

In 67 games for the Spitfires, Khokhlachev totaled 76 points (34 goals) in the regular season. In the playoffs, the 5-foot-10, 188-pound left winger/center led all rookies with 20 points (nine goals).

NHL Central Scouting’s Chris Edwards
“He’ll take a hit to make a play and he’s not at all afraid. I’ve seen him get hit hard a few times and he just bounces right back into the play. His energy level is always there, and he’s always working hard. Down the stretch for Windsor, he’s played well. He’s a skilled forward.”

In The Hockey News, one scout compared KoKo’s skills to Marc Savard, but with more physicality.

GR90,…pretty impressive 1 1/2 hours from May 2010 for Knight…he’s a kid that suffered with diabetes, without knowing it, during this past season. Once he got diagnosed and got on insulin his game picked up considerably.

Carter would have looked pretty good flying down the wing since the center spots are full. Could you imagine having a winger that could play center in the one or two hole when you’re in a bind. Marchand, Bergeron and Carter wouldn’t be a bad second line.

On the other hand his contract is too long and he likes his adult beverages apparently. If that’s the case then the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.

@Bo. I’m a little reserved about Knight’s size when it comes to puck battles with the big boys. He’s not going to out run many people. He had a lot more responsibilties this year and was watched closer. Still I thought he might score a bit more. I think Spooner has more offensive upside with his puck skills. With the last two drafts and not many NHL jobs on the big club available this will give the time needed to develop some of these blue chippers. An ideal situation for long term strength. Both Spooner and Knight will have another year of junior while Caron and whoever makes the jump. Knight may be with the U.S world juniors which can only help in his development. I know we need two right wingers possibly.

Kinda funny – check out my comment under Camara. Great minds, as they say….

Nifty – I remember you’ve been reserved about Knight. Really appreciate your insight from the ranks. I still think that Knight has a special magic that will help him find a place. In my mind.. he’s ryder at worst. But that snap with his grit makes me feel like we’re going to love this guy some day. Just a hunch.

Thanks for pumping up the Russian kid. Feeling all kinds of Boston Bruins groovy these days. He’s only 17!

He’s an honest hard working kid that will make sacrifices for his team. I’d be surprised if he’s not the captain of the Knights next year. He needs to get a little quicker to avoid some hits but I love his hockey sense and his leadership on the ice. If all it takes is hard work and dedication then this guys a lock. Unfortunately it will come down to numbers, depth and some good old fashioned luck. He was deadly in shootouts so it’s not like he’s doesn’t have skill. There’s not one person in London who doesn’t like the guy.

Seth Griffith F and Michael Houser G are still available. I’d take both. These rounds are prospects in the true sense. Griffith is really turning into an OHL player and improved substantially in the second half last year.

I never miss a Windsor/London game and Koko made me nervous every time he stepped on the ice. He’s dynamic and knows where the net is. Not blazing speed but good vision and typical russian skill and agility. Two good picks to build with last years strong draft.

Bo- Can’t forget Jordan Caron either! I remember when people were calling out PC for being too “reserved” and “not knowing what he was doing”. Well, lookey here… this is how champions are built.
This guy has drafted and traded like a stud… the leadership on the Bruins and organizational depth in the pipeline is staggering. This team is being set up to be contenders for years to come.

This is exactly the kind of player I was hoping we’d take a flyer on. Can’t find anything negative on the kid – drawbacks are the Russia thing (as Pierre said), and some issues with pulling pucks out of the corners. I’ll take it! He’s 17, playing against 19-20 year olds and kickin’ it. He looks like the type of body type that will get thicker too – I see a kid that in 5-7 years people will be talking about how hard it is to take the puck from him.

I might just be in the land of black and gold rainbows but a stable of Kampfer, Hamilton, Sauve, Spooner, Knight, KoKo, some kid named Seguin – and now this Thorton clone Camara all in line behind a very young and well built NHL team.

This kid is already near 190lbs at 5’10”, and he’s only 17? If he can even put on 10-15 pounds in the next year, he’s going to be NHL ready. The fact that he’s fearless and isn’t afraid to do the dirty work is so awesome… a smaller, strong guy could add some shiftiness to the Bruins lineup in the future. Not to mention he’s obviously confident and has decent speed and hands- can’t wait to see how this kid develops.